Palisades Fire (2021)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- May 14, 2021 –
- May 26, 2021
- (13 days)
| Palisades Fire | |
|---|---|
| Part of the 2021 California wildfires | |
| Date(s) |
|
| Location | Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California |
| Coordinates | 34°04′45″N 118°33′32″W / 34.079046°N 118.558938°W |
| Statistics[1] | |
| Burned area | 1,202 acres (486 ha) |
| Impacts | |
| Non-fatal injuries | 1 firefighter |
| Ignition | |
| Cause | Arson |
| Map | |
  Location in Southern California | |
The Palisades Fire was a wildfire that burned in Topanga State Park, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles, California on May 14, 2021. The fire burned a total of 1,202 acres (486 ha) and was fully contained on May 26, 2021.[2]
Cause
At around 10:00 PM PST on Friday, May 14, 2021, the Palisades Fire was first reported on the 1800 block of North Michael Lane. Throughout that night, the fire burned between 10 and 15 acres as helicopters and fire crews were quickly brought in to suppress the brush fire.[3] The fire, which had been named the Palisades Fire due to its proximity to the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, burned in unseasonably dry chaparral that had not been burned in a significant fire within the 50 to 60 years, despite the presence of a marine layer over the area.
Early in the afternoon of Saturday, May 15, after some containment was established, a spot fire was observed expanding far outside the area of the original fire footprint. This spot fire soon became the main body of the fire, expanding in multiple directions into a conflagration of more than 100 acres .[4][5] By the evening of the 15th, the fire was approximately 750 acres, and containment dropped to 0%. Mandatory evacuation orders were put in place for approximately 1,000 residents east of Topanga Canyon Boulevard, between the Community House and View Ridge Road, as well as north of Entrada, south of Oakwood Drive and east of Henry Ridge Motorway.[5]
By the night of Sunday, May 16, the fire was estimated to have burned about 1,325 acres. On the morning of Monday, May 17, the area of the fire was reassessed at 1,158 acres due to more accurate mapping of the fire perimeter. Several hillside residential areas in Topanga Canyon were evacuated, and Topanga Canyon Boulevard was shut down. Over the course of the day, containment grew to 23%. At 6:00 PM PDT on May 17, all evacuations were lifted.[6]
The Palisades Fire was 100% contained by 6:00 PM on Monday, May 26, 2021.[7]
The cause of the fire is believed to be arson, and one suspect was detained, but later released.[8] The main suspect was later identified as 48-year-old man Ramon Santos Rodriguez.[9]
